The fun and talk rose fast and furious. More and more guests arrived;
the large drawing-rooms were soon almost as full as they could hold.
Priscilla, from her corner, half-hidden by a sheltering window curtain,
looked in vain for Rosalind. Where had she hidden herself? When were
they going away? Surely Rosalind would come to fetch her soon? They
had to walk home and be ready for dinner.
Dinner at St Benet's was at half-past six, and Prissie reflected with a
great sensation of thankfulness that Rosalind and she must go back in
good time for this meal, as it was one of the rules of the college that
no girl should absent herself from late dinner without getting
permission from the Principal.
Prissie looked in agony at the clock which stood on a mantelpiece not
far from where she had ensconced herself. Presently it struck five; no
one heard its silver note in the babel of sound, but Priscilla watched
its slowly moving hands in an agony.
Rose must come to fetch her presently. Prissie knew--she reflected to
her horror that she had not the moral courage to walk about those
drawing-rooms hunting for Rose.
Two or three exquisitely dressed but frivolous-looking women stood in a
group not far from the window where Priscilla sat forlorn. They talked
about the cut of their mantles, and the price they had given for their
new winter bonnets. Their shrill laughter reached Prissie's ears, also
their words. They complimented one another, but talked scandal of their
neighbours. They called somebody--who, Prissie could not imagine--"a
certain lady," and spoke of how she was angling to get a footing in
society, and how the good set at Kingsdene would certainly never have
anything to do with her or hers.
"She's taking up those wretched girl graduates," said one of these
gossips to her neighbour. Then her eye fell upon Prissie. She said
"Hush!" in an audible tone, and the little party moved away out of
earshot.
The minute hand of the clock on the mantelpiece pointed to nearly
half-past five. Poor Prissie felt her miseries grow almost intolerable.
Tears of mortification and anguish were forcing themselves to her eyes.
She felt that, in addition to having lost so many hours of study, she
would get into a serious scrape at St Benet's for breaking one of the
known rules of the college.